Tandem source activation for cvd of films

ABSTRACT

A method for processing a substrate in a substrate processing system includes flowing reactant gases into a process chamber including a substrate, supplying a first power level sufficient to promote rearrangement of molecules on a surface of the substrate, waiting a first predetermined period, and, after the first predetermined period, performing plasma-enhanced, pulsed chemical vapor deposition of film on the substrate by supplying one or more precursors while supplying a second power level for a second predetermined period. The second power level is greater than the first power level. The method further includes removing reactants from the process chamber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/060,075, filed on Oct. 22, 2013. The entire disclosure of theapplication referenced above is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to substrate processing systems, and moreparticularly to cyclical deposition such as atomic layer deposition orpulsed chemical vapor deposition of films.

BACKGROUND

The background description provided herein is for the purpose ofgenerally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of thepresently named inventors, to the extent the work is described in thisbackground section, as well as aspects of the description that may nototherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neitherexpressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a method 10 for performing atomic layerdeposition (ALD) of SiO₂ via reaction of silicon precursors withoxidizing co-reactants (ozone, oxidizing plasmas, etc.). Inert and/orreaction gases may be introduced into a process chamber. At 12, aprecursor dose is introduced into the process chamber. Some of theprecursor is adsorbed onto an exposed surface of the substrate andremaining precursor is removed from the process chamber at 14. Forexample, the substrate may include a semiconductor wafer. At 16, theadsorbed precursor is activated, typically using plasma. At 20, postactivation removal of reactants is performed.

ALD processing may tend to have relatively long cycle times due to theamount of time required for the precursor to adsorb onto the exposedsurface of the substrate. Contamination may occur due to the transientscaused by cycling of the plasma on (during activation of the adsorbedprecursor) and off (during dosing of the precursor).

SUMMARY

A method for processing a substrate in a substrate processing systemincludes a) flowing reactant gases into a process chamber; b) supplyingplasma having a first power level; c) dosing the process chamber withthe precursor, wherein the first power level is sufficient to enhanceadsorption of the precursor on a surface of the substrate, and whereinthe first power level is insufficient to decompose the precursor that isadsorbed; d) after a first predetermined period, removing a portion ofthe precursor that does not adsorb onto the substrate; e) activating theprecursor that is adsorbed using plasma having a second power level,wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level andis sufficient to decompose the precursor that is adsorbed; and f)removing reactants from the process chamber.

In other features, the first power level is supplied from (b) to (f).The first power level is supplied during (c) and not during (e). Thefirst power level is terminated after the second power level is suppliedand the first power level is supplied prior to the second power levelbeing terminated. The first power level is supplied by an inductivelycoupled plasma source and the second power level is supplied by acapacitively coupled plasma source. The first power level is suppliedfrom (b) to (f).

In other features, the first power level is supplied by a capacitivelycoupled plasma source and the second power level is supplied by thecapacitively coupled plasma source. The first power level is suppliedfrom (b) to (f). The first power level is supplied by an inductivelycoupled plasma source and the second power level is supplied by theinductively coupled plasma source. The first power level is supplied bya remote plasma source and the second power level is supplied by acapacitively coupled plasma source. The first power level is below athreshold to permit significant parasitic chemical vapor deposition(CVD) and above a threshold to permit low energy activation of theprecursors without destruction.

A method for processing a substrate in a substrate processing systemincludes a) flowing reactant gases into a process chamber including asubstrate; b) supplying a first power level that is sufficient topromote rearrangement of molecules on a surface of the substrate; c)waiting a first predetermined period; d) after the first predeterminedperiod, performing plasma-enhanced, pulsed chemical vapor deposition offilm on the substrate by supplying one or more precursors whilesupplying a second power level for a second predetermined period,wherein the second power level is greater than the first power level;and e) removing reactants from the process chamber.

In other features, the first power level is supplied from (b) to (e).The first power level is supplied during (b) and (c) and not during (d).The first power level is terminated after the second power level issupplied and the first power level is supplied prior to the second powerlevel being terminated. The first power level is supplied by aninductively coupled plasma source and the second power level is suppliedby a capacitively coupled plasma source. The first power level issupplied from (b) to (e). The first power level is supplied by acapacitively coupled plasma source and the second power level issupplied by the capacitively coupled plasma source. The first powerlevel is supplied from (b) to (e). The first power level is supplied byan inductively coupled plasma source and the second power level issupplied by the inductively coupled plasma source. The first power levelis supplied by a remote plasma source and the second power level issupplied by a capacitively coupled plasma source. The first power levelis supplied by a UV source.

A substrate processing system for processing a substrate includes plasmasource. A controller is configured to flow reactant gases into a processchamber; dose the process chamber with precursor while the plasma sourcesupplies plasma having a first power level, wherein the first powerlevel is sufficient to enhance adsorption of the precursor on a surfaceof the substrate, and wherein the first power level is insufficient todecompose the precursor that is adsorbed; after a first predeterminedperiod, remove a portion of the precursor that does not adsorb onto thesubstrate; activate the precursor that is adsorbed using plasma having asecond power level, wherein the second power level is greater than thefirst power level and is sufficient to decompose the precursor that isadsorbed; and removing reactants from the process chamber.

Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will becomeapparent from the detailed description, the claims and the drawings. Thedetailed description and specific examples are intended for purposes ofillustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an example of a method for performing atomic layer deposition(ALD) according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating activation energy during depositionaccording to the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an example of a substrateprocessing system according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is an example of a method for performing ALD according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 5 illustrates examples of pulse train steps during another reactioncoordinate according to an example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 illustrates examples of pulse train steps during another reactioncoordinate according to another example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 illustrates examples of pulse train steps during another reactioncoordinate according to another example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates RF power during ALD according to the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a method for performing pylsed CVDaccording to the present disclosure.

In the drawings, reference numbers may be reused to identify similarand/or identical elements.

DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure relates to systems and methods for depositingfilm using a cyclical deposition process such as but not limited toatomic layer deposition (ALD) or pulsed chemical vapor deposition (CVD).In some examples, the ALD and pulsed CVD may be used to performconformal film deposition (CFD). Additional details relating to CFD maybe found in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,905,737 and 7,871,676,which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

For example only, while the description set forth below relates to dualprecursor activation for ALD using inductively coupled plasma (ICP),capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) or ultraviolet (UV) energy incombination with low energy ICP or CCP, other processes such as pulsedCVD and other activation methods such as using remote plasma sources canbe used. As can be appreciated, the remote plasma may be introduced viaa showerhead or other methods.

The different activation methods are capable of promoting molecules todifferent energy states to motivate different molecular activity. In oneexample, a first activation source promotes precursor molecules to haveincreased surface adsorption, which decreases dose time and increasesthroughput. A second activation source is applied sequentially todecompose the surface adsorbed precursor molecule in a manner consistentwith standard plasma enhanced processing. For example only, the firstactivation source may remain ON during the entire process. For exampleonly, the first activation source may use low RF power such as CCP=200 Wsplit by 4 pedestals. Processing in this manner may occur in a cyclicalfashion.

The dual activation approach for processing of thin films is expected toprovide kinetic improvement for the adsorption step. The dual activationapproach is expected to reduce particles due to elimination of sharptransients from abrupt plasma transitions when turning the plasma ON andturning the plasma OFF. The improved surface mobility of activatedprecursors may be amenable to reflow and therefore gap fill applicationscan be supported. In addition, the activated precursors may overcome therelatively high dose time hurdles for existing ALD processes (such asSIN and SiC). The dual activation approach is also amenable to halidefree processing.

FIG. 2 shows an example of an energy profile depicting a dual sourceactivation method for ALD. In some examples, continuous activation isemployed during the ALD cycle. The continuous activation may includeremote plasma, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or capacitively coupledplasma (CCP), or ultraviolet (UV) energy in combination with ICP or CCP.The power magnitude is varied over time. For example only, first andsecond power levels may be used during the ALD cycle.

In one example, a first RF power level is used during both dosing of theprecursor and removal (e.g. purging or evacuation) of the precursor. Thefirst RF power level is (1) below a threshold to permit significantparasitic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and/or (2) adequate to permitlow energy activation of the precursors without destruction.

Parasitic CVD or PECVD may be caused by interaction of co-reactants inthe gas phase or interaction of plasma with a precursor in the gasphase. This would result in CVD or PECVD with mass-transport limiteddelivery of materials in a directional sense to the substrate. As usedherein, significant parasitic CVD or PECVD may refer to with-in-wafer(WIW) non-uniformity (NU) greater than 2% 1-sigma (or WIW NU>2% 1 s) andreduced step coverage (<90% sidewall to field thickness).

After dosing of the precursor and removal of the precursor, plasmahaving a second RF power level is used during activation to decomposethe adsorbed precursor. Plasma having the second RF power level is abovea threshold energy of activation (E_(a)) to decompose the precursor. Thesecond RF power level may be supplied by the remote plasma source, theCCP power source, the ICP power source or another power source. As canbe appreciated, a first RF power source providing the first RF powerlevel may be turned ON and OFF or the first RF power source may remainon before and during operation of the second RF power source.

The first RF power level increases the energy of the precursor to astate that is sufficient to promote interaction with a substrate surfacethat is at a lower energy state and thus enhanced adsorption occurswhile avoiding decomposition of the adsorbed precursor. The second RFpower level is then used to decompose the surface adsorbed precursor andcomplete the reaction.

FIG. 3 shows an example of a substrate processing system 100 thatincludes a process chamber 102. The substrate processing system 100further includes a showerhead 110 to deliver process gases to theprocess chamber 102.

A pedestal 114 may be connected to a reference potential such as ground.Alternatively an electrostatic chuck (ESC) may be used instead of thepedestal. The pedestal 114 may include a chuck, a fork, or lift pins(all not shown) to hold and transfer a substrate 116 during and betweendeposition and/or plasma treatment reactions. The chuck may be anelectrostatic chuck, a mechanical chuck or various other types of chuck.

While FIG. 3 shows multiple RF power sources to create plasma in theprocess chamber 102 for illustration purposes, it will be understoodthat one RF power source that is operable at two RF power levels or anycombination of two or more RF power sources may be used to supply thefirst RF power level and the second RF power level. For example only,two or more of a CCP power source, an ICP power source and a remoteplasma source can be used.

For example, a CCP power source 120 may be used to supply RF poweracross the showerhead 110 and a pedestal 114 to create plasma. As can beappreciated, while the pedestal 114 is shown to be grounded, the RFpower may be supplied to the pedestal 114 and the showerhead may begrounded. A remote plasma source 130 may provide remotely generatedplasma to the process chamber 102 at one or more RF power levels. Insome examples, the remote plasma source 130 may use microwave energyand/or a plasma tube. An ultraviolet (UV) source 132 may provide UVactivation.

An ICP power source 133 may be used to supply current to a coil 135.When a time-varying current passes through the coil 135, the coil 135creates a time-varying magnetic field. The magnetic field inducescurrent in gas in the process chamber, which leads to the formation ofplasma in the process chamber.

The process gases are introduced to the showerhead 110 via inlet 142.Multiple process gas lines are connected to a manifold 150. The processgases may be premixed or not. Appropriate valves and mass flowcontrollers (generally identified at 144-1, 144-2, and 144-3) areemployed to ensure that the correct gases and flow rates are used duringsubstrate processing. Process gases exit the process chamber 102 via anoutlet 160. A vacuum pump 164 typically draws process gases out of theprocess chamber 102 and maintains a suitably low pressure within thereactor by a flow restriction device, such as a valve 166. A controller168 may sense operating parameters such as chamber pressure andtemperature inside the process chamber using sensors 170 and 172. Thecontroller 168 may control the valves and mass flow controllers 144. Thecontroller 168 may also control the plasma power source 120.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a method 300 for performing ALD. At 312, aninert carrier gas is provided in the process chamber. At 314, reactantgases are provided. At 316, an activation source supplying the first RFpower level is initiated prior to, at the same time as or soon afterdosing of the precursor occurs. The activation source can includesupplying the first RF power level using the remote plasma source, theICP power source or the CCP power source. Additional power may besupplied using the UV source. The first RF power level is (1) below athreshold to permit significant parasitic chemical vapor deposition(CVD) and/or (2) adequate to permit low energy activation of theprecursors without destruction or decomposition of the adsorbedprecursor.

At 320, a precursor dose may be provided to the process chamber. At 324,the non-adsorbed precursor is removed from the process chamber. At 326,the adsorbed precursor is activated using the second RF power level todecompose the adsorbed precursor. The second RF power level may besupplied by the remote plasma source, the ICP power source or the CCPpower source. The first RF power level may still be supplied while thesecond power level is being supplied. Alternately, the first RF powerlevel may be transitioned off. The transition OFF may occur in anoverlapping manner with a transition ON of the second RF power level toreduce transients. In other words, the second RF power level startsturning ON before or while the first RF power level starts turning offand vice versa.

When activation is complete, the second RF power level is no longersupplied and the RF power is returned to the first RF power level. At328, reaction by-products are removed. The removal (purging orevacuation) step can occur before, during or after the transition to thefirst RF power level. At 332, control determines whether the process isdone. If 332 is false, control returns to 312 for one or more additionalcycles. Otherwise control ends.

FIGS. 5-7 show various examples of pulse train steps during a reactioncoordinate. In FIG. 5, the carrier gas is provided in step 1 to theprocess chamber during the process. Steady state adsorption activationat the first RF power level is provided in step 2 during the process. Instep 3, a precursor dose is provided to the process chamber. In step 4,the precursor that is not adsorbed is removed. At step 5, plasmaactivation of the adsorbed precursor is performed at the second RF powerlevel. In step 6, a post activation removal of reactants is performed.Steps 3 through 6 may be repeated as desired.

In FIG. 6, the carrier gas is provided in step 1 to the process chamberduring the process. Steady-state ICP-radical adsorption activation isprovided at the first RF power level in step 2 during the process. Instep 3, a precursor dose is provided to the process chamber. In step 4,the precursor that is not adsorbed is removed. At step 5, plasmaactivation of the adsorbed precursor is performed at the second RF powerlevel using CCP-radical and ion activation of the adsorbed precursor. Instep 6, a post activation removal of reactants is performed. Steps 3through 6 may be repeated as desired.

In FIG. 7, the carrier gas is provided in step 1 to the process chamberduring the process. Steady-state low power CCP adsorption activation isprovided at the first RF power level in step 2 during the process. Instep 3, a precursor dose is provided to the process chamber. In step 4,the precursor that is not adsorbed is removed. At step 5, plasmaactivation of the adsorbed precursor is performed using high power CCPradical and ion activation of the adsorbed precursor at the second RFpower level. In step 6, a post activation removal of reactants isperformed. Steps 3 through 6 may be repeated as desired.

FIG. 8 illustrates RF power during operation according to the presentdisclosure. Low RF power is used during dose, removal and postactivation removal of reactants steps. High RF power is used duringplasma activation of adsorbed precursor.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a method for performing pulsed CVDaccording to the present disclosure. At 402, inert carrier gas isprovided. At 404, an activation source is initiated at a first powerlevel. At 408, control waits a predetermined period. At 412, one or moreprecursors are pulsed while using a plasma activation source at a secondpower level for a second predetermined period. After the secondpredetermined period, a removal of reactants operation may be performedat 416. At 420, if the process is not done, control returns to 408 andrepeats the pulsed CVD. When the process is done, control ends.

In one example, the first RF power level is used before reactants areintroduced at 412. The first RF power level is (1) below a threshold topermit significant parasitic chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and/or (2)adequate to permit low energy activation a surface of the substrate. Thefirst energy level may promote cracking of surface molecules and/ormovement and rearrangement of molecules on the surface of the substrate.The first power level may be supplied by the UV source or any of theplasma sources listed above.

Plasma having the second RF power level is above a threshold energy ofactivation (E_(a)). The second RF power level may be supplied by any ofthe plasma sources listed above. As can be appreciated, a first RF powersource providing the first RF power level may be turned ON and OFF orthe first RF power source may remain on before and during operation ofthe second RF power source.

The embodiments herein are not limited to particular reactants or filmtypes. However, an exemplary list of reactants is provided below.

In certain embodiments, the deposited film is a silicon-containing film.In these cases, the silicon-containing reactant may be for example, asilane, a halosilane or an aminosilane. A silane contains hydrogenand/or carbon groups, but does not contain a halogen. Examples ofsilanes are silane (SiH₄), disilane (Si₂H₆), and organo silanes such asmethylsilane, ethylsilane, isopropylsilane, t-butylsilane,dimethylsilane, diethylsilane, di-t-butylsilane, allylsilane,sec-butylsilane, thexylsilane, isoamylsilane, t-butyldisilane,di-t-butyldisilane, and the like. A halosilane contains at least onehalogen group and may or may not contain hydrogens and/or carbon groups.Examples of halosilanes are iodosilanes, bromosilanes, chlorosilanes andfluorosilanes. Although halosilanes, particularly fluorosilanes, mayform reactive halide species that can etch silicon materials, in certainembodiments described herein, the silicon-containing reactant is notpresent when a plasma is struck. Specific chlorosilanes aretetrachlorosilane (SiCl₄), trichlorosilane (HSiCl₃), dichlorosilane(H₂SiCl₂), monochlorosilane (ClSiH₃), chloroallylsilane,chloromethylsilane, dichloromethylsilane, chlorodimethylsilane,chloroethylsilane, t-butylchlorosilane, di-t-butylchlorosilane,chloroisopropylsilane, chloro-sec-butylsilane,t-butyldimethylchlorosilane, thexyldimethylchlorosilane, and the like.An aminosilane includes at least one nitrogen atom bonded to a siliconatom, but may also contain hydrogens, oxygens, halogens and carbons.Examples of aminosilanes are mono-, di-, tri- and tetra-aminosilane(H₃Si(NH₂)₄, H₂Si(NH₂)₂, HSi(NH₂)₃ and Si(NH₂)₄, respectively), as wellas substituted mono-, di-, tri- and tetra-aminosilanes, for example,t-butylaminosilane, methylaminosilane, tert-butylsilanamine,bis(tertiarybutylamino)silane (SiH₂(NHC(CH₃)₃)₂ (BTBAS), tert-butylsilylcarbamate, SiH(CH₃)—(N(CH₃)₂)₂, SiHCl—(N(CH₃)₂)₂, (Si(CH₃)₂NH)₃ andthe like. A further example of an aminosilane is trisilylamine(N(SiH₃)).

In other cases, the deposited film contains metal. Examples ofmetal-containing films that may be formed include oxides and nitrides ofaluminum, titanium, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten, manganese, magnesium,strontium, etc., as well as elemental metal films. Example precursorsmay include metal alkylamines, metal alkoxides, metal alkylamides, metalhalides, metal β-diketonates, metal carbonyls, organometallics, etc.Appropriate metal-containing precursors will include the metal that isdesired to be incorporated into the film. For example, atantalum-containing layer may be deposited by reactingpentakis(dimethylamido)tantalum with ammonia or another reducing agent.Further examples of metal-containing precursors that may be employedinclude trimethylaluminum, tetraethoxytitanium, tetrakis-dimethylamidotitanium, hafnium tetrakis(ethylmethylamide),bis(cyclopentadienyl)manganese, bis(n-propylcyclopentadienyl)magnesium,etc.

In some embodiments, the deposited film contains nitrogen, and anitrogen-containing reactant must be used. A nitrogen-containingreactant contains at least one nitrogen, for example, ammonia,hydrazine, amines (e.g., amines bearing carbon) such as methylamine,dimethylamine, ethylamine, isopropylamine, t-butylamine,di-t-butylamine, cyclopropylamine, sec-butylamine, cyclobutylamine,isoamylamine, 2-methylbutan-2-amine, trimethylamine, diisopropylamine,diethylisopropylamine, di-t-butylhydrazine, as well as aromaticcontaining amines such as anilines, pyridines, and benzylamines. Aminesmay be primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary (for example,tetraalkylammonium compounds). A nitrogen-containing reactant cancontain heteroatoms other than nitrogen, for example, hydroxylamine,t-butyloxycarbonyl amine and N-t-butyl hydroxylamine arenitrogen-containing reactants.

In certain implementations, an oxygen-containing oxidizing reactant isused. Examples of oxygen-containing oxidizing reactants include oxygen,ozone, nitrous oxide, carbon monoxide, etc.

While many examples discussed herein include two reactants (e.g., A andB, or a principal reactant and an auxiliary reactant), it will beappreciated that any suitable number of reactants may be employed withinthe scope of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, a singlereactant and an inert gas used to supply plasma energy for a surfacedecomposition reaction of the reactant may be used. Alternatively, someembodiments may use three or more reactants to deposit a film.

The embodiments herein may use various different process sequences.Table 1 below recites non-limiting examples of process parameters thatmay be used to implement this technique to deposit a silicon oxide film.

TABLE 1 Oxidant Si dose Purge 1 RF plasma Purge 2 Compound(s) O_(2,)N₂O, Silanes, e.g., Inert gas, NA Inert gas, CO₂, BTBAS e.g., Ar/N₂e.g., Ar/N₂ mixtures, e.g., mixture of N₂O and O₂ Flow Rate 3-10 slm,e.g. 0.5-5 10-90 slm, NA 10-90 slm, 4.5 slm O₂ + ml/min, e.g., e.g., 45slm e.g., 45 slm 5 slm N₂O 2 ml/min premixed Time Continuous 0.1-2 s,0.1-5 s, 0.1-5 s, e.g. Optional, if e.g., 0.8 s e.g., 0.5 s 1 sperformed 0.01-5 s, e.g., 0.09 s

Table 2 below recites various non-limiting examples of processparameters that may be used to implement this process flow to deposit asilicon oxide film.

TABLE 2 Oxidant Si dose Purge 1 RF plasma Purge 2 Compound(s) O_(2,)N₂O, Silanes, e.g. Inert gas, NA Inert gas, CO₂, BTBAS e.g., Ar/N₂ e.g.,Ar/N₂ mixtures, e.g., mixture of N₂O and O₂ Flow Rate 3-10 slm, e.g.0.5-5 10-90 slm, NA 10-90 slm, 4.5 slm O₂ + ml/min, e.g., e.g., 45 slme.g., 45 slm 5 slm N₂O 2 ml/min premixed Time 50 ms-5 s, 50 ms-1 s.Continuous, 50 ms-5 s, Continuous, e.g., 0.15 s e.g., 0.2 s inert gase.g., 0.15 s inert gas Concurrent only: only: with RF or 0.1-5 s, e.g.,Optional, if may flow 0.4 s performed oxidant 0.01-5 s, 0.001-1 s e.g.,0.09 s prior to RF to stabilize flow

The compounds, flow rates, and dosage times in the above tables areexamples. Any appropriate silicon-containing reactant and oxidant may beused for the deposition of silicon oxides. Similarly, for the depositionof silicon nitrides, any appropriate silicon-containing reactant andnitrogen-containing reactant may be used. Further, for the deposition ofmetal oxides or metal nitrides, any appropriate metal-containingreactants and co-reactants may be used. The techniques herein arebeneficial in implementing a wide variety of film chemistries

The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is in noway intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. Thebroad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety offorms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples,the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since othermodifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, thespecification, and the following claims. As used herein, the phrase atleast one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or Bor C), using a non-exclusive logical OR. It should be understood thatone or more steps within a method may be executed in different order (orconcurrently) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.

In this application, including the definitions below, the termcontroller may be replaced with the term circuit. The term controllermay refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific IntegratedCircuit (ASIC); a digital, analog, or mixed analog/digital discretecircuit; a digital, analog, or mixed analog/digital integrated circuit;a combinational logic circuit; a field programmable gate array (FPGA); aprocessor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes code; memory(shared, dedicated, or group) that stores code executed by a processor;other suitable hardware components that provide the describedfunctionality; or a combination of some or all of the above, such as ina system-on-chip.

The term code, as used above, may include software, firmware, and/ormicrocode, and may refer to programs, routines, functions, classes,and/or objects. The term shared processor encompasses a single processorthat executes some or all code from multiple controllers. The term groupprocessor encompasses a processor that, in combination with additionalprocessors, executes some or all code from one or more controllers. Theterm shared memory encompasses a single memory that stores some or allcode from multiple controllers. The term group memory encompasses amemory that, in combination with additional memories, stores some or allcode from one or more controllers. The term memory may be a subset ofthe term computer-readable medium. The term computer-readable mediumdoes not encompass transitory electrical and electromagnetic signalspropagating through a medium, and may therefore be considered tangibleand non-transitory. Non-limiting examples of a non-transitory tangiblecomputer readable medium include nonvolatile memory, volatile memory,magnetic storage, and optical storage.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for processing a substrate in asubstrate processing system, comprising: a) flowing reactant gases intoa process chamber including a substrate; b) supplying a first powerlevel sufficient to promote rearrangement of molecules on a surface ofthe substrate; c) waiting a first predetermined period; d) after thefirst predetermined period, performing plasma-enhanced, pulsed chemicalvapor deposition of film on the substrate by supplying one or moreprecursors while supplying a second power level for a secondpredetermined period, wherein the second power level is greater than thefirst power level; and e) removing reactants from the process chamber.2. The method of claim 1, wherein (b) is performed using at least one ofan ultraviolet source, an inductively coupled plasma source, acapacitively coupled plasma source and a remote plasma source, andwherein (d) is performed using at least one of the inductively coupledplasma source, the capacitively coupled plasma source and the remoteplasma source.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the removal in (e)comprises at least one of purging and evacuating the process chamber. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein (c) to (e) are repeated to perform acyclical deposition process.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstpower level is supplied from (b) to (e).
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein the first power level is supplied during (b) and (c) and notduring (d).
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first power level isterminated after the second power level is supplied and wherein thefirst power level is supplied prior to the second power level beingterminated.
 8. The method of claim 2, wherein the first power level issupplied by the inductively coupled plasma source and the second powerlevel is supplied by the capacitively coupled plasma source.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the first power level is supplied from (b) to(e).
 10. The method of claim 2, wherein the first power level issupplied by the capacitively coupled plasma source and the second powerlevel is supplied by the capacitively coupled plasma source.
 11. Themethod of claim 10, wherein the first power level is supplied from (b)to (e).
 12. The method of claim 2, wherein the first power level issupplied by the inductively coupled plasma source and the second powerlevel is supplied by the inductively coupled plasma source.
 13. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the first power level is supplied by theremote plasma source and the second power level is supplied by thecapacitively coupled plasma source.
 14. The method of claim 2, whereinthe first power level is supplied by the ultraviolet source.
 15. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first power level is less than apredetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold is based ona power level permitting significant parasitic chemical vapordeposition.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the first power levelcauses at least one of (i) cracking of surface molecules on a surface ofthe substrate and (ii) movement and/or rearrangement of molecules on thesurface of the substrate.
 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the firstpower level permits low energy activation on a surface of the substrate.18. The method of claim 1, wherein the second power level is above apredetermined threshold, wherein the predetermined threshold correspondsto a threshold energy of activation.
 19. The method of claim 1, wherein:the first power level is provided from a first power source; the secondpower level is provided from a second power source while the first powerlevel is still being supplied from the first power source; and the firstpower level is provided from the first power source from (b) to (e) suchthat supplying the first power level from the first power source occursat a same time as supplying the plasma having the second power levelfrom the second power source.